Police: Seattle teacher slapped, choked disruptive student

Updated 2:36 pm, Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A Seattle teacher was arrested Wednesday after police were called to South Lake High School following a report that he had “slapped and strangled” a student there.

Police were called to the South Seattle alternative high school at noon after an assistant principal there reported the 53-year-old teacher had accosted the student, a Seattle Police spokeswoman said in a statement.

Witnesses told police the teacher was conducting class when the 17-year-old boy and another student were talking in the back of the classroom.

Having been ignored when he told the students to quiet, the teacher confronted both and a violent altercation ensued, said Detective Renee Witt, a department spokeswoman.

The teacher grabbed boy by the throat and choked him during the scuffle, Witt continued.

The boy was ultimately taken to a Seattle hospital for treatment. Officers arrested the teacher at the staff lounge and took him to a police station for questioning.

“This type of action is inexcusable, and I want you to know that we take the safety and security of our students very seriously,” South Lake High School Principal Barbara Moore said in a letter to parents. “This teacher has been directed to stay away from South Lake High School and not have any contact with District students, staff and parents while the investigation occurs.”

The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending a district investigation into the incident, a Seattle Public Schools spokeswoman said. He has been with the district since 1997.

The district will be addressing the incident in a letter to parents and guardians of South Lake High students.